Smolov Squat Cycle

On March 15th I started the Smolov Squat cycle. I did not follow this program perfectly but I stuck to it pretty darn good as can be seen here in my log. During that course of time my squat went from a 325 1 R.M. to a rather easy 380 1 R.M. I could have probably pushed 390 but I got greedy and tried for 400 and missed it. I have to say that I am VERY pleased at a 55 pound gain on my squat in just a little over a month.

The program is rather demanding and there were times that I was covered in sweat and not really wanting to continue. I never did miss a rep though and that became a goal as the weights got heavier and heavier.

I want to take my squat up again as I am just not happy with 380.

My good friend Jason, owner of Matanuska Barbell has watched me squat for a while and also analyzed my miss at 400. My weakness is my hamstring adductors. To attack this weakness I am going to perform a reset on my squat and the Smolov cycle and focus on the wide "powerlifting" stance. I will run this next cycle with my original starting weight of 325 as getting used to the wider style of squatting and addressing my weakness is my primary concern. I will test my 1 R.M. after the next 4 weeks in both the wide stance and the Rippetoe stance I am currently used to squatting with.